1715 The death of Louis XIV - Palace of Versailles 1715 The death of Louis XIV 1715 The death of Louis XIV 1715 The death of Louis XIV Share Print 1 September 1715 After a week of slow agony, Louis XIV passed away in Versailles on 1 September 1715 at 8.15 in the morning, just before his 77th birthday. A reign of 72 years ended, the longest in the history of France. Another reign almost as long began: that of Louis XV (1715-1774). Worthy of a tragedy of Racine, the death of Louis XIV began on 10 August 1715. On his return from hunting in Marly, the king felt a sharp pain in his leg. His doctor Fagon diagnosed sciatica and never budged from this position. But black spots soon began to appear: the sign of senile gangrene. Despite the atrocious pain, the king continued with his usual occupations without flinching. He intended to carry out his functions until the end. The old oak seemed ineradicable and won the admiration of all.

But on 25 August, his feast day, he had to take to his bed. He was not to leave his bedchamber. The gangrene then affected his bones the next day. The doctors felt helpless. The king received on the same day his great-grandson, aged 5, the future Louis XV, to give him advice. He recommended him to relieve his people’s suffering and avoid war as far as possible: “it is the ruin of peoples!” Aware of having failed on this point, he asked him to remain a “peace-loving prince”. But his death took longer than expected. The king made his adieux to Mme de Maintenon three times and twice to the Court. A Provençal named Brun was allowed to approach the royal bed on 29 August: he claimed to have a miraculous cure. In fact, the king did feel better. But the disease was still there and making progress. Louis XIV finally went into a semi-coma lasting the next two days. He died on 1 September in the morning. His body was on view for eight days in the Mercury salon. He was transported to Saint-Denis on 9 September.

The Duc d’Orléans, nephew of Louis XIV, became Regent of the kingdom until the majority of the future Louis XV. The family quarrels began: on 2 September, the Regent persuaded the Parliament of Paris to annul the testament of the king which confiscated some of the assembly’s prerogatives. He governed from his residence in the Palais-Royal and installed the future king in the Tuileries palace on 9 September. The Court left Versailles. Philippe V of Spain, however, had not totally abandoned his claims to the throne of France in spite of the Treaty of Ryswick in 1713. A new war was on the way and with it a new combination of alliances in Europe… Louis XIV of France | Article about Louis XIV of France by The Free Dictionary Louis XIV of France | Article about Louis XIV of France by The Free Dictionary Louis XIV, 1638–1715, king of France (1643–1715), son and successor of King Louis XIII Louis XIII, 1601–43, king of France (1610–43).

He succeeded his father, Henry IV, under the regency of his mother, Marie de' Medici. He married Anne of Austria in 1615. ..... Click the link for more information. . Early Reign After his father's death his mother, Anne of Austria Anne of Austria, 1601–66, queen of France, daughter of King Philip III of Spain. Married to the French king Louis XIII (1615), she was neglected by her husband and sought the society of the court intriguer, Mme de Chevreuse. ..... Click the link for more information. , was regent for Louis, but the real power was wielded by Anne's adviser, Cardinal Mazarin Mazarin, Jules , 1602–61, French statesman, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, b. Italy. His original name was Giulio Mazarini. After serving in the papal army and diplomatic service and as nuncio at the French court (1634–36), he entered the service of France ..... Click the link for more information. . Louis did not take over the government until Mazarin's death (1661).

By then France was economically exhausted by the Thirty Years War Thirty Years War, 1618–48, general European war fought mainly in Germany. General Character of the War There were many territorial, dynastic, and religious issues that figured in the outbreak and conduct of the war. ..... Click the link for more information. , by the Fronde Fronde , 1648–53, series of outbreaks during the minority of King Louis XIV, caused by the efforts of the Parlement of Paris (the chief judiciary body) to limit the growing authority of the crown; by the personal ambitions of discontented nobles; and by the grievances of ..... Click the link for more information. , and by fiscal abuses. But the centralizing policies of Richelieu Richelieu, Armand Jean du Plessis, duc de (Cardinal Richelieu) , 1585–1642, French prelate and statesman, chief minister of King Louis XIII, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. ..... Click the link for more information. and Mazarin had prepared the ground for Louis, under whom absolute monarchy, based on the theory of divine right, reached its height.

Domestic Policy Louis's reign can be characterized by the remark attributed to him, "L'état, c'est moi" [I am the state]. Louis continued the nobility's exemption from taxes but forced its members into financial dependence on the crown, thus creating a court nobility occupied with ceremonial etiquette and petty intrigues. The provincial nobles also lost political power. Louis used the bourgeoisie to build his centralized bureaucracy. He curtailed local authorities and created specialized ministries, filled by professionals responsible to him. Under his minister Jean Baptiste Colbert Colbert, Jean Baptiste , 1619–83, French statesman. The son of a draper, he was trained in business and was hired by Cardinal Mazarin to look after his financial affairs. ..... Click the link for more information. industry and commerce expanded on mercantilist principles and a navy was developed. The war minister, the marquis de Louvois Louvois, François Michel Le Tellier, marquis de , 1641–91, French statesman, minister during the reign of King Louis XIV.

After 1654 he was associated in office with his father, Michel Le Tellier, and from 1666 he functioned as war minister, officially replacing his ..... Click the link for more information. , established the foundations of French military greatness. Religious Affairs Louis increasingly imposed religious uniformity. His persecution of the Huguenots Huguenots , French Protestants, followers of John Calvin. The term is derived from the German Eidgenossen, meaning sworn companions or confederates. Origins Prior to Calvin's publication in 1536 of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, ..... Click the link for more information. in the 1680s culminated (1685) in the revocation of the Edict of Nantes (see Nantes, Edict of Nantes, Edict of, 1598, decree promulgated at Nantes by King Henry IV to restore internal peace in France, which had been torn by the Wars of Religion; the edict defined the rights of the French Protestants (see Huguenots). ..... Click the link for more information. ).

The resultant exodus of Protestants, many of whom were merchants and skilled artisans, intensified the kingdom's economic decline and further alienated the Protestant powers. Louis also suppressed Jansenism (see under Jansen, Cornelis Jansen, Cornelis , 1585–1638, Dutch Roman Catholic theologian. He studied at the Univ. of Louvain and became imbued with the idea of reforming Christian life along the lines of a return to St. Augustine. ..... Click the link for more information. ). Despite this concern with religious orthodoxy, he favored Gallicanism Gallicanism , in French Roman Catholicism, tradition of resistance to papal authority. It was in opposition to ultramontanism, the view that accorded the papacy complete authority over the universal church. ..... Click the link for more information. , and controversy with the popes approached schism (1673–93) before Louis abandoned this position. Foreign Policy Louis strove vigorously for supremacy in foreign affairs.

His marriage (1660) to the Spanish princess Marie Thérèse served as a pretext for the War of Devolution Devolution, War of, 1667–68, undertaken by Louis XIV for the conquest of the Spanish Netherlands. On her marriage to Louis, Marie Thérèse, daughter of Philip IV of Spain, had renounced her rights of inheritance in return for a large dowry. ..... Click the link for more information. (1667–68), which netted him part of Flanders, although the Dutch then moved against him with the Triple Alliance Triple Alliance, in European history, any of several coalitions. 1 The Triple Alliance of 1668 was formed by the Netherlands, England, and Sweden against France after Louis XIV had invaded the Spanish Netherlands in the War of Devolution. ..... Click the link for more information. of 1668. Relations with the Dutch were exacerbated by commercial rivalry and in 1672 Louis, determined to crush Holland, began the third of the Dutch Wars Dutch Wars, series of conflicts between the English and Dutch during the mid to late 17th cent.

The wars had their roots in the Anglo-Dutch commercial rivalry, although the last of the three wars was a wider conflict in which French interests played a primary role. ..... Click the link for more information. , which depleted his treasury. For the next ten years the king limited his policies to diplomacy. He set up "chambers of reunion" to unearth legal grounds for claims on a number of cities, which Louis promptly annexed. Fear of Louis's rapacity resulted in a European coalition (see Augsburg, League of Augsburg, League of, defensive alliance formed (1686) by Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I with various German states, including Bavaria and the Palatinate, and with Sweden and Spain so far as their German interests were concerned. ..... Click the link for more information. ; Grand Alliance, War of the Grand Alliance, War of the, 1688–97, war between France and a coalition of European powers, known as the League of Augsburg (and, after 1689, as the Grand Alliance). ..... Click the link for more information. ), which confronted him when he attacked the Holy Roman Empire in 1688.

This war ended with the Treaty of Ryswick Ryswick, Treaty of, 1697, the pact that ended the War of the Grand Alliance. Its signers were France on one side and England, Spain, and the Netherlands on the other. It was a setback for Louis XIV, who kept Strasbourg but lost most other conquests made after 1679. ..... Click the link for more information. (1697), through which Louis lost minor territories. Louis's last war, the War of the Spanish Succession Spanish Succession, War of the, 1701–14, last of the general European wars caused by the efforts of King Louis XIV to extend French power. The conflict in America corresponding to the period of the War of the Spanish Succession was known as Queen Anne's War (see French and ..... Click the link for more information. (1701–14), left France in debt and greatly weakened militarily; nevertheless, Louis's grandson retained the Spanish throne.

The Court Although he had a series of mistresses, Louis XIV finally came under the influence of Mme de Maintenon Maintenon, Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise de , 1635–1719, second wife of the French king Louis XIV. Her grandfather was Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigné, the Huguenot hero. ..... Click the link for more information. , whom he married morganatically (1684) after the queen's death. A great supporter of the arts, Louis patronized the foremost writers and artists of his time, including Molière Molière, Jean Baptiste Poquelin , 1622–73, French playwright and actor, b. Paris; son of a merchant who was upholsterer to the king. His name was originally Jean Baptiste Poquelin. ..... Click the link for more information. , Jean Racine Racine, Jean , 1639–99, French dramatist. Racine is the prime exemplar of French classicism.

The nobility of his Alexandrine verse, the simplicity of his diction, the psychological realism of his characters, and the skill of his dramatic construction contribute to the ..... Click the link for more information. , Jean de La Fontaine La Fontaine, Jean de , 1621–95, French poet, whose celebrated fables place him among the masters of world literature. He was born at Château-Thierry to a bourgeois family. A restless dilettante as a youth, he settled at last in Paris. ..... Click the link for more information. , and Charles Le Brun Le Brun, Charles , 1619–90, French painter, decorator, and architect. He studied with Vouet and in Rome. Strongly influenced by Poussin, he returned in 1646 to Paris, where he gradually developed a more decorative form of classicism. ..... Click the link for more information. . The architect Jules Mansart Mansart or Mansard, Jules Hardouin , 1646–1708, French architect. He studied under his great-uncle François Mansart and under Libéral Bruant. ..... Click the link for more information.

supervised the building of the lavish palace of Versailles Versailles , city (1990 pop. 91,029), capital of Yvelines dept., N central France. It was an insignificant rural hamlet when Louis XIII constructed a small retreat there in 1623. ..... Click the link for more information. . Because of the brilliance of his court, Louis was called "Le Roi Soleil" [the Sun King] and "Le Grand Monarque." He was succeeded by his great-grandson, Louis XV Louis XV, 1710–74, king of France (1715–74), great-grandson and successor of King Louis XIV, son of Louis, titular duke of Burgundy, and Marie Adelaide of Savoy. ..... Click the link for more information. . Bibliography For contemporary sources see the incisive memoirs of the Cardinal de Retz Retz, Jean François Paul de Gondi, Cardinal de , 1613–79, French prelate and political leader. He was made (1643) coadjutor to his uncle, the archbishop of Paris. ..... Click the link for more information.

; the extremely prejudiced but indispensable memoirs of the duc de Saint-Simon Saint-Simon, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de , 1675–1755, French writer of memoirs and courtier. He resigned (1702) from the army after his arrogance had involved him in a quarrel with Marshal Luxembourg. ..... Click the link for more information. ; and the letters of Mme de Sévigné Sévigné, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de , 1626–96, French woman of letters. Her correspondence of more than 1,500 letters is a monument of French literature. After her husband's death (1651) she devoted herself to her two children. ..... Click the link for more information. , which brilliantly portray the social life of the time. See also biographies by J. B. Wolf (1968) and P. Erlanger (tr. 1970); studies by P. Goubert (1972), O. Bernier (1987), and P. Sonnino, ed. (1990).

Louis XIV, Louis Quatorze style The style of the high Classical period in France under the rule of Louis XIV (1643–1715) in architecture, decoration, and furniture, culminating in the building of Versailles. (See illustration p. 604.) Louis XIV known as le roi soleil (the Sun King). 1638--1715, king of France (1643--1715); son of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. Effective ruler from 1661, he established an absolute monarchy. His attempt to establish French supremacy in Europe, waging almost continual wars from 1667 to 1714, ultimately failed. But his reign is regarded as a golden age of French literature and art Louis XIV - On This Day On This Day Nationality: French Profession: The Sun King of France Why Famous: The longest ruling monarch in European history, Louis XIV came to the throne aged 4 and went on to rule for 72 years. His rule established France as one of the pre-eminent powers of Europe, through early reforms, successful wars, creation of a French Empire and through his patronage of the arts.

He was also the builder of the Palace of Versailles to where he moved the court of France in 1682. In 1685 he issued the Edict of Fontainebleau revoking the Edit of Nantes and ending tolerance of Protestants.

Died: September 1 , 1715 (aged 76) Cause of Death: Gangrene 1660-06-09 French King Louis XIV (21) marries Maria Theresa of Spain (21) at Saint-Jean-de-Luz 1684-01-12 French King Louis XIV marries Madame Maintenon Historical Events in the Life of Louis XIV 1643-05-14 Louis XIV becomes King of France aged 4 1651-11-07 King Louis XIV of France (13) declared of full age 1654-06-07 Louis XIV crowned King of France 1659-11-07 The Treaty of the Pyrenees signed by representatives of French King Louis XIV & Spanish king Philip IV 1661-03-10 French King Louis XIV ends office of premier 1661-09-05 Nicolas Fouquet, French Superintendent of Finances under Louis XIV arrested; he died in 1680, never having seen freedom again.

1663-01-23 King Louis XIV affirms covenant with Rÿnstaten 1664-03-06 King Louis XIV & Emperor of Brandenburg signs covenant 1664-05-07 Louis XIV of France inaugurates The Palace of Versailles. 1668-01-19 King Louis XIV & Emperor Leopold I sign treaty dividing Spain 1669-02-01 French King Louis XIV limits freedom of religion 1670-06-01 English King Charles II & French King Louis XIV sign secret anti-Dutch treaty 1671-11-01 French King Louis XIV & RC German emperor Leopold I sign secret anti-Dutch treaty 1672-04-29 Franco-Dutch War: Louis XIV of France invades the Netherlands.

1672-06-21 French troops under King Louis XIV occupy Utrecht 1673-06-16 Peace of Vossem: French King Louis XIV & Frederik Willem of Brandenburg 1681-10-23 French troops under King Louis XIV occupy Staatsburg 1682-05-06 Louis XIV of France moves his court to Versailles. 1683-09-24 King Louis XIV expels all Jews from French possessions in America 1685-10-18 French King Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes cancelling rights of French Protestants 1688-11-26 French King Louis XIV declares war on Netherlands 1689-04-15 French King Louis XIV declares war on Spain 1690-03-16 French King Louis XIV sends troops to Ireland 1696-07-29 Louis XIV.

King of France, & Victor Amadeus II, Duke of Savoy, sign Peace of Turin, a turning point in the War of the League of Augsburg 1715-09-01 King Louis XIV of France dies after a reign of 72 years—the longest of any major European monarch. Louis XIV: What France′s Sun King did for art | Culture | DW.COM | 02.09.2015 Culture Louis XIV: What France's Sun King did for art He didn't care for politics, but Louis XIV left behind artistic treasures. He died 300 years ago this month and France is celebrating by pulling out white wigs, masks and old instruments. Celebrations in France marking the 300th anniversary of the death of Louis XIV (1638 -1715) are, well, fit for a king. A total of 30,000 sheets of finest gold leaf have been used in the renovation of the famous Fountain of Latona, one of the numerous historical landmarks in Paris that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world.

This year, the entire country is celebrating its Sun King, who was once ignominiously chased from the highest office of the state to die a miserable death in September 1715. The reign of King Louis XIV, one of the longest of the modern era, was marked by contradictions. The Sun King was more interested in the fine arts than in politics and government affairs, and he has left behind some truly impressive architectural achievements, including the Les Invalides building complex, the Place Vendôme, and the elegant Champs-Elysées boulevard which is now home to the prestigious Ritz Hotel and the city's most expensive jewelry shops. Versailles, part of Louis XIV's legacy, is at the top of most tourists' to-do list The centerpiece of his court was the Palace of Versailles, a Baroque symbol of his unlimited power, his love for art and his immense wealth. Nowadays it's at the top of tourists' must-see list. Louis XIV picked art over politics With its extensive gardens, playful pavilions and noble palace buildings, Versailles offered the appropriate backdrop for artistic life at the court of Louis XIV, who surrounded himself with thousands of aristocrats, composers and artists.

Entire legions of servants attended to the wellbeing of the royal guests that were invited by the king to take part in his opulent feasts and masked balls. The public appearance of his mistresses was always a highlight of his lavish parties. As King of France and Navarre from 1643 to 1715, Louis XIV took particular pride in his sumptuously decorated, 73-meter-long (240-foot) hall of mirrors. That's where castle concerts, theater performances, and especially Louis' beloved dancing quadrilles took place. His Majesty himself, clad in various costumes, loved to perform in these dances. Among the spectators was also the playwright and actor Molière. After winning the favor of the arts-friendly Sun King, he belonged to his entourage starting in 1611. Since Molière had the privilege of observing the king up close, many of his well known plays contain character studies of the sickly sovereign. Versailles: Louis XIV didn't cut corners when it came to luxury According to the tradition of the French kings, Louis XIV liked to act as a generous patron and supporter of artists - with the ulterior motive of immortalizing himself in paintings and compositions.

After all, the color "royal blue" was introduced in art on his behalf. Louis XIV appointed Italian ballet master and composer Jean-Baptiste Lully as "music master of the royal family," Molière wrote plays for him, and landscape and garden designer André Le Notre realized the ornate palace gardens at Versailles for the demanding King. Paris puts on its wigs and masks The preparations for the presentation of the rich cultural world of Louis XIV are currently in full swing all over France, and especially in Paris. Historical masked balls with wigs and crinolines, accompanied by music from the day, remind a modern-day public of the tastes that prevailed during Louis XIV's reign. A major exhibition entitled "The King is Dead" will be shown in the Palace of Versailles from October 2015. As curator Gérard Sabatier told the press, it will be the first one of its kind. On display will be objects and jewels from the royal treasury, drawings, lithographs, paintings, and precious documents, such as the Sun King's 16-page will. It had disappeared for decades, but resurfaced during an auction in 2009 and is now in the possession of a French investor.

DW recommends Louis XIV Louis XIV Location of death: Versailles, France Cause of death: unspecified Nationality: France Executive summary: Le Roi Soleil Louis XIV, King of France, was born at Saint Germain-en-Laye on the 5th of September 1638. His father Louis XIII , had married Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III king of Spain, in 1615, but for twenty years the marriage had remained without issue. The childlessness of the king was a constant threat to the policy of his great minister Richelieu for the king's brother and heir, Gaston of Orleans, was a deter mined opponent of that policy. The birth of the prince who was destined to reign as Louis XIV was therefore hailed as triumph, not less important than any of those won by diplomacy or arms. The death of his father made Louis XIV king on the 14th of May 1643, but he had to wait sixteen years before he began to rule.

Power lay for some time in the hands of the queen-mother and in those of her minister, Cardinal Mazarin who found it difficult to maintain the power of the throne and the integrity of French territory during the domestic trouble of the Fronde and the last stages of the Thirty Years' War. The minister was hated as a foreigner, and the childhood of the king weakened the royal authority. Twice the court had to flee from Paris; once when there was a rumor of intended flight the populace was admitted to see the king in his bed. The memory of these humiliations played their part in developing later the autocratic ideas of Louis. Mazarin, in spite of all disadvantages, triumphed alike over his domestic and his foreign opponents. The Fronde was at an end by 1653; the peace of Westphalia (1648) and the peace of the Pyrenees (1659) marked the success of the arms and of the diplomacy of France. Louis XIV was now twenty-one years of age and was anxious to rule as well as to reign.

The peace of the Pyrenees was a decisive event in his personal history as well as in that of France, for one of its most important stipulations referred to his marriage. He had already been strongly attracted to one of the nieces of Mazarin, but reasons of state triumphed over personal impulse; and it was agreed that the new friendship with Spain should be cemented by the marriage of Louis to his cousin, the Infanta Maria Theresa . A large dowry was stipulated for; and in consideration of this the king promised to forgo all claims that his wife might otherwise possess to the Spanish crown or any part its territories. The dowry was never paid, and the king held himself free of his promise. The marriage took place at once, and the king entered Paris in triumph in 1660. Mazarin died in the next year; but so strong was the feeling that the kings of France could only rule through a first minister that it was generally expected that Mazarin would soon have a successor. The king, however, at once announced his intention of being his own first minister; and from this resolution he never swerved. Whatever great qualities he may have lacked he certainly possessed industry and patience in the highest degree.

He built up a thoroughly personal system of government, and presided constantly over the council and many of its committees. He was fond of gaiety and of sport; but neither ever turned him away from the punctual and laborious discharge of his royal duties. Even the greatest of his ministers found themselves controlled by the king. Fouquet, the finance minister, had accumulated enormous wealth during the late disturbances, and seemed to possess power and ambition too great for a subject. Louis XIV found it necessary almost to conspire against him; he was overthrown and condemned to perpetual imprisonment. Those who had most of the king's confidence afterwards were Colbert for home affairs; Lionne for diplomacy; Louvois for war; but as his reign proceeded he became more self-confident and more intolerant of independence of judgment in his ministers. His court was from the first one of great brilliance. In art and in literature, the great period, which is usually called by the king's name, had in some respects passed its zenith when he began to reign. But France was unquestionably the first state in Europe both in arms and arts, and within France the authority of the king was practically undisputed.

The nation, proud of its pre-eminence and weary of civil war, saw in the king its true representative and the guarantee of its unity and success. Louis was singularly well fitted by his physical and intellectual gifts for the role of Grand Monarque and he played it to perfection. His wife Maria Theresa bore him children but there was no community of tastes between them, and the chief influence at court is to be found not in the queen but in the succession of avowed mistresses. Mademoiselle de la Valli�re held the position from 1662 to 1670; she was then ousted by Madame de Montespan, who had fiercely intrigued for it, and whose proud and ambitious temper offered a great contrast to her rival. She held her position from 1670 to 1679 and then gave place to the still more famous Madame de Maintenon, who ruled, however, not as mistress but as wife. The events that brought about this incident form the strangest episode in the king's private life. Madame de Maintenon was the widow of the dramatist Scarron, and first came into relationship with the king as governess to his illegitimate children.

She was a woman of unstained life and strongly religious temperament; and it was by this that she gained so great an influence over the king. Through her influence the king was reconciled to his wife, and, when Maria Theresa died in 1683, Madame de Maintenon shortly afterwards (in 1684) became the king's wife, though this was never officially declared. Under her influence the court lost most of its gaiety, and religion came to exercise much control over the life and the policy of the king. The first years of the king's rule were marked by the great schemes of Colbert for the financial, commercial, industrial and naval reorganization of France, and in these schemes Louis took a deep interest. But in 1667 began the long series of wars, which lasted with little real intermission to the end of the reign. In the steps that led to these wars and in their conduct the egotistic ambition and the vanity of the king played an important part; though he never showed real military skill and took no share in any military operations except in certain sieges.

The War of Devolution (or the Queen's War) in 1667-68 to enforce the queen's claim to certain districts in the Spanish Netherlands, led to the Dutch War (1672-78), and in both these wars the supremacy of the French armies was clearly apparent. The next decade (1678-88) was the real turning point in the history of the reign, and the strength of France was seriously diminished. The chief cause of this is to be found in the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The church had always opposed this settlement and had succeeded in altering it in many points. Now the new religious zeal and the autocratic temper of Louis XIV came to the support of the church. The French Huguenots found their privileges decreased, and then, in 1685, the edict was altogether withdrawn. The results were ruinous to France. It was not only that she lost many thousands of her best citizens, but this blow against Protestantism deprived her of those Protestant alliances in Europe which had been in the past her great diplomatic support.

Then the English Revolution came in 1688 and changed England from a wavering ally into the most determined of the enemies of France. The war with the Grand Alliance, of which King William III was the heart and soul, lasted from 1688 to 1697; and the treaty of Ryswick, which brought it to an end, deprived France of certain territories on her frontier. But Louis saw in the Spanish question a chance of more than making up for this loss. The Spanish king Charles II was dying, and the future of the possessions of Spain was doubtful. The astute diplomacy of Louis succeeded in winning the inheritance for his grandson Philip. But this involved France and Europe in an immense war (1700) and by the peace of Utrecht (1713), though the French prince retained the Spanish crown, France had again to make concessions of territory. Louis XIV had shown wonderful tenacity of purpose during this disastrous war, and sometimes a nobler and more national spirit than during the years of his triumphs. But the condition of France was terrible. She was burdened with debt; the reforms of Colbert were ruined; and opposition to the king's regime began to make itself felt.

Peace brought some relief to France, but the last years of the king's life were gloomy in the extreme. His numerous descendants seemed at one time to place the succession beyond all difficulty. But his eldest son, the dauphin, died in April 1711; his eldest grandson the duke of Burgundy in February 1712; and his great-grandson the duke of Brittany in March 1712. The heir to the throne was now the duke of Burgundy's son, the duke of Anjou, afterwards Louis XV . The king died on the 1st of September 1715, after the longest recorded reign in European history. The judgment of posterity has not repeated the flattering verdict of his contemporaries; but he remains the model of a great king in all that concerns the externals of kingship. Father: Louis XIII (King of France) Mother: Anne of Austria Wife: Marie Thérèse (d. 1683) Son: Louis, Dauphin de Viennois (b. 1661, d.

1711) Mistress: Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise of Montespan Wife: Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon (Protestant, m. 1685) Long to reign over us? History's longest and shortest-serving monarchs - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Long to reign over us? History's longest and shortest-serving monarchs Queen Elizabeth II will become Britain's longest-reigning monarch on September 9, having been on the throne for 63 years and 216 days. However, Her Majesty's reign is shorter than some other monarchs worldwide. The Queen remains six years behind the world's current longest reigning monarch, Thailand's king Bhumibol Adulyadej. What follows is a list of some of the longest and shortest reigns in recent history. Sobhuza II of Swaziland 82 years, 1899-1982 Photo: Swaziland's Sobhuza II ascended the throne at 4 months old and held it until his death at 83 years of age.

(Commons) He was known by many names: the Lion of Swaziland, the Great Mountain, the Bull, the Son of the She-elephant and the Inexplicable, and Sobhuza II probably needed all those names to coordinate his 70 marriages. He married across the tribes to bind important families to his clan, with estimates that he bore hundreds of children. Swaziland gained independence from Britain in 1968. A few years later, using a private army that he had secretly formed, Sobhuza declared himself absolute ruler. A new parliament was established in 1979 but its role was just an advisory one. Rich in resources, under King Sobhuza the nation thrived as the land and wealth returned to indigenous control under his reign. Louis XIV of France 72 years, 1643-1715 Photo: Europe's longest reigning monarch oversaw the height of French power.

(Commons: Louis XIV of France by Hyacinthe Rigaud/Louis XIV Collection) The longest reign of a European head of state is that of France's King Louis XIV, who also centralised government in his capital, most famously establishing and encamping the nobility under watchful eyes in his family's Palace of Versailles. With France at the height of its power, under Louis XIV it was both militaristic and economically competitive, with artisans from all over Europe invited to base themselves there. He facilitated this under Code Louis, a comprehensive legal system that gave his people certainty while keeping competing domestic powers such as the church and aristocracy at bay. Johann II of Liechtenstein 70 years, 1858-1929 Photo: Johann 'the Good' oversaw Liechtenstein's departure from the German confederation and abolished its army. (Commons: Johann II Liechtenstein by Charles Scolik) At the age of just 24, Johann II 'the Good' oversaw Liechtenstein's first constitution, then at 28 years of age, in 1866, its withdrawal from the German Confederation.

Then, looking at the numbers, King Johann decided the army was too expensive to run and abolished it, joining Switzerland nearly 50 years later as a non-combatant in World War I. In 2011, Liechtenstein had the highest GDP per person in the world. Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Photo: Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej is the world's longest current reigning monarch. (AFP) A constitutional monarch and the current longest reigning monarch in the world, King Bhumibol is a revered moral authority in a country subject to political instability. Thailand has suffered 12 coups d'etat since 1932, including the one which brought the current government to power, but the monarch continues to have the final say in formally endorsing who runs the country. His health is poor however, and the palace revealed in early August that he had recently been treated for 'water on the brain' and a chest infection. Elizabeth II of Britain 63 years, 1952-present Britain's ruler inherited the throne in 1952 following the death of her father, King George VI.

Queen Elizabeth is head of state of 15 other Commonwealth realms, including Australia. On September 9, Queen Elizabeth's reign will surpass that of her great, great-grandmother Queen Victoria, who was on the throne from 1837 until 1901. A similar length of service in their respective countries was enjoyed by Bahrain's Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa, at 63 years, 1869-1932, and Hirohito of Japan, at 62 years, 1926-1989. While a head of state is by no means assured of longevity, there have been some outstanding examples of extreme brevity across history. Fyodor II of Russia 1 month 22 days, 1605 Photo: The new tsar Fyodor II was allegedly dispatched by Ivan the Terrible's son.

(Commons: False Dmitry's Agents Murdering Fyodor Godunov and his Mother by Konstantin Makovsky) Already a great cartographer and artist at the age of 16, Fyodor II Borisovich Godunov became tsar of Russia in 1605 after coaching in government and foreign affairs by his father, Tsar Boris Godunov. It was the Time of Troubles, where a famine had killed one third of the population, and upon the former tsar's death the feudal lords moved against the new ruler immediately, led by a man who claimed to be a son of Ivan the Terrible but is largely believed to have been an imposter. Fyodor's reign ended when he was strangled in his apartment, together with his mother. His successor, the imposter False Dimitriy I, himself lasted just 10 months. Emperor Taichung of China 29 days, 1620 A Ming Dynasty emperor, Zhu Chanluo took the name Taichung upon ascending the throne and took ill just 10 days after his coronation in 1620.

The 17th century Book of Ming records that his illness was a result of overindulging with eight serving girls, a coronation gift from a rival. As part of a cure he was given medicine which caused diarrhoea, which he then countered with two red pills from a novice apothecary. He was found dead the next morning, etching the 'Case of the Red Pills' into the history books as one of the great mysteries of the Ming Dynasty. Lady Jane Grey 9 days, 1553 Photo: Though not crowned, Lady Jane Grey held the reins for nine tumultuous days. (Commons: The Execution of Lady Jane Grey by Paul Delaroche) Deep in British lore is the queen who was never crowned but reigned for nine days in 1553, Lady Jane Grey. Her ascension to the throne at the age of just 17 or 18 was a Protestant succession plan to keep her Catholic cousin Mary Tudor away from the throne. 'Bloody Mary' was able to convince others to allow her to take the throne and imprison Lady Jane in the Tower of London before her coronation.

She was executed at Tower Green in February 1554 on the orders of the new Queen Mary I. Duc Duc Ai of Vietnam 3 days, 1883 Photo: A mausoleum gate at the burial place of Duc Duc Ai in Hue, Vietnam. (Commons) In a dramatically short reign in 1883, emperor Duc Duc Ai was deposed due to alleged indiscretions at his own coronation. The Hue Monuments Conservation Centre in Vietnam says he prepared a decree upon stepping down confessing to a "lustful habit", which included violating the rules of mourning for his recently parted emperor and uncle by getting too familiar with his concubines. Sentenced to death, he died alone in prison three months later. First posted September 08, 2015 16:47:02 Elizabeth II's reign

Question: What was the name of France's longest serving King who died in September 1715?
Answer: Louis XIV